ZURICH CLASSIC OF NEW ORLEANS

April 21, 2023

Xander Schauffele

Patrick Cantlay

TPC Louisiana

Quick Quotes

Q. How did you guys handle the round yesterday, and what did you talk about afterwards?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: We need to play better. We needed to be aggressive here in alternate shot, which is a little dangerous, especially if it gets windy, so fortunately this morning we took advantage of really calm conditions and then played some of our better golf when the wind picked up a little bit. It was just necessary.

Q. Listening to you guys talk earlier, Xander was kind of taking some of the blame for yesterday. What did he do well today for you, Patrick?

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah, neither of us played well yesterday. We both struggled. Three bogeys in best ball is not ideal.

Today Xander putted great and hit a lot of really nice wedge shots and pitches. Left me three feet and in a couple times and made a bunch of mid-range 15-, 20-footers, which is exactly what you need to do to shoot 9-under par.

Q. Certainly you guys play a lot of golf together competitively, for fun. What clicks mentally between the two of you to go play so well at a Presidents Cup, play so well at this event? Obviously your games go well, but is there anything from the mental side that really connects?

PATRICK CANTLAY: I think it's just Xander is really good, and I can play well, too, so when we get two guys together that are really good, and I think it helps that we're friends, but when you get two world-class players playing together and we both have a day where we're on like today, we can post a low one.

Q. How did you guys handle the delay today? What did you do during the break to try and stay focused?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, just hung out with the other 200 people in the clubhouse.

Q. When you got back, how did you feel the course played?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Similar. A little softer. We had such a small sample. Pat hit a drive, I hit a wedge and a mid-iron, and he had two putts. We did really good, a huge taste of what it was like coming back out.

Q. Is the rain break the only things that really slowed you guys down today?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: We talked about it. Rain is an extra variable, but we were flowing pretty good leading into that break, so who knows what would have happened.

Q. To think that your front nine was better than all 18 in best ball, what do you make of that? That would seem to be unusual in a tournament like this, but how do you explain that?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, Pat said it, we played really well. I think for me the big part today was probably -- I put him in a bad spot on 15 in the bunker and then he had to hack it out sideways, and then he made like a 20-footer for par, which was pretty sneaky to keep our momentum going and kind of led into a birdie on the next.

Yeah, for the most part, it was relatively stress-free besides that one I'd say.

Q. Could you take us through 18, just the approach shot --

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, Pat sent a drive down there, right down the center, left me 256 yards and hit a hybrid up on the green, and he didn't need any help reading the putt. He just knocked it right in.

Q. Can you talk about your shot, approach shot on 8 and then Patrick's follow-up, that kind of dicey chip on the side of the green?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, it's funny, most guys get really scared. I actually feel really good when he's got a wedge in his hand anywhere near the green. I wasn't really sweating it at all. I just knew -- I wanted to put him on the green to have a birdie look, but with ball in hand how good he is with his wedge, I wouldn't have been surprised if he knocked it in, and he hit it to here.

PATRICK CANTLAY: I was trying.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: A tap-in for the third or fourth time today, which is nice for a partner.

Q. Did you guys have a number in mind?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: As low as possible.

PATRICK CANTLAY: Yeah.

Q. 59 last year, record, I think 29 under, record, this now a record. Any other records you guys plan on breaking?

PATRICK CANTLAY: We'd like to get that 59 again in best ball. We're going to try.